Cabarrus County Schools

North Carolina’s third-grade reading law got lots of complaints from teachers and parents its first year in classrooms. It was hard then to see if it was actually helping students to read. Those third graders who were the first to encounter changes under the law are now almost all fifth graders with two years of test data behind them. So how’s it going?

Teachers did not get a raise this year, but state lawmakers have set aside bonuses for the top 25 percent of teachers next year. It’s up to school districts to figure out who those teachers are -- and that’s no easy task.

Dozens of new charter schools have opened in North Carolina since the cap on them was lifted a couple years ago. But the state still does not have an online charter. This year three groups hope to get approval to open virtual charters.